July 24, 2006


The New Iraqi Prime Minister says Iraq will not descend into Civil war. This, of course, begs the question, where in hell he is, the Bahamas?

Iraq is in the very midst of a civil war. The three factions in Iraq are hard at war with the US and other Iraqis. Car bombs, suicide bombs and such are killing of Iraqis faster than bullets.

Then you have American field grade officers telling their men to kill any Iraqi male of military age. That would be about fifteen. Iraq and Afghanistan are no longer discernable as nations. Only a huge areas of carnage. The American's have failed entirely, and really should leave.

Reason and logic dictate an American departure, and now since they are nothing more than an acute exacerbation of a Bush Catastrophe. There is nothing left in the Republican and Republicrats bag of dirty tricks to address the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now the American's have reopened a weapons and money pipeline to Israel in its thinly disguised attempt to wipe out Hezbollah and the Palestinians.

Only the sadly uninformed or religious zealots believe that the powers that be in Israel want peace in the former Palestine. The two sides' hatred for each other is now generational.

The Israelis never planned to actually return the occupied territories to the Arabs with the possible exception of Yitzhak Rabin, and look what happened to him, at the hands of perhaps only one of his countrymen.

The kidnapping of the Israeli corporal is a well known fact. This "news" has been around the world more times than a keyhole satellite. It was used as a pretext for Israeli troops and equipment to move back into Gaza.

What most DON'T know is the very day before, the Israelis kidnapped a physician and another member of his family. Their whereabouts and status remain unknown.

We also now know that the Israeli Government was planning these operations long before ANY kidnapping took place.

The Israelis dropped leaflets I the southern towns of Lebanon, then in turn, fired on fleeing cars and refugee camps. What would one call this? Self defense? Revenge, terrorism, what?

Clearly, the US and Israeli Governments have no intention of recognizing Hamas as the head of the Palestinian Authority, which seems to be the root of this latest uproar.

Is it the case that the US and Israel profess democracy, but only with the candidates they approve of?

The behavior of both nations suggests the truth of this statement. So, what would the US and Israel have the Palestinians do? Start accepting resumes'?

Since the beginning of this carnage well over a century ago, the Palestinians have fought from a point of clear disadvantage.

Despite this, the West seems oblivious to this fact, and demands that Palestinians cease and desist in their efforts to return to return to their homes of old against an aggressor nation.

Even members of the Israeli Air Force have denounced the actions of their government and refused to fly any more missions against the Palestinians. "Fighters for Peace" they call themselves.

What is remarkable about this is that this group contains Palestinians as well. Men behaving as Men, instead of terrorists like their leaders.

There are other groups in Israel as well that wish to end the killing and destruction by acceptance of the need for a Palestinian homeland ruled by Palestinians. This is the only way peace will be achieved in this situation

It is unthinkable that the US would suggest as a part of the UN for the holding of a ceasefire in Lebanon for an entire week. Civilians on both sides Israeli and Lebanese are dying by the hundreds.

It seems impossible to believe that both the US and Israel actually believe they can wipe out Hezbollah or Hamas. Hamas was elected via democratic means to the position they now hold.

It is just too damned bad that the US and Israel don't like what democracy begat. Further, most refuse to believe that in addition to fighting the Israelis, Hamas provides humanitarian care for sick and injured Palestinians. They provide shelter for displaced Palestinians as well. They provide money for food and clothing and etc. as well.

There are people world wide, that will drop over graveyard dead rather than see the historical fact that Israel was thrust upon the Palestinians by the west.

Even before the recognition of Israel as a state, the Palestinians were being run out of Palestine by the smaller Jewish contingent. The story of Palestine for the past several hundred years is quite an interesting one.

Yes, the Palestinians are using what some consider terrorism to fight the Israelis. Do these same people think the Palestinians are not terrorized by the Israelis and the Americans?

There is no doubt that there will likely never be peace between these factions. They could, however, for the sake of peace for their children and their continued progeny, bargain in good faith for a permanent ceasefire.

However the first thing to go would have to be the US. Palestine would never consider bargaining from such a weak position, nor should they. It's really time to move into the 21st century. But that would include the US as well.

"It's Hard To Beat Them" An Israeli Soldier Said, "They're Not Afraid Of Anything"...

Ted Bohne N96173@msn.com is a Vietnam Vet, and former U.S. Army Ranger, 51 years old, disabled, formerly a paramedic and adjunct faculty at Texas Tech University School of Medicine and tenured faculty at Odessa College, Odessa Texas.